McGrady shoots down former team as Rockets edge Magic

McGrady scored 34 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 97-93
victory over the sliding Magic.

It was the 10th win in the last 14 games for the Rockets
(35-20), who climbed within two games of the Utah Jazz (37-18)
for fourth place in the Western Conference.

After spending his first three seasons in Toronto, McGrady
emerged as one of the NBA's most dynamic scorers with the Magic,
capturing two scoring titles and earning four All-Star
appearances in his four seasons here.

McGrady, who was shipped to Houston in a seven-player
blockbuster trade in June 2004, haunted his former team Sunday,
shooting 8-of-20 from the floor and 15-of-18 from the line.

"Tonight, my whole process coming into the game was to attack,"
he said. "I was getting to the free-throw line. I saw a couple
of openings where I could have gotten deeper into the paint,
but those guys were collapsing on me."

Greeted by a chorus of boos from the sellout crowd at Amway
Arena, McGrady also dished out six assists to help the Rockets
win their fifth straight road game vs. the Magic.

"When teams want to double up on me, my job is to make the right
play for the team," the All-Star swingman said. "My teammates
do a great job of getting spaced out and getting to the right
spots."

McGrady said he was not surprised by the reaction he received
from the fans.

"I still get booed when I go to Toronto, and that's been a long
time ago," he said. "No, I'm not surprised at all."

Rafer Alston scored 20 points, Luther Head added 15 off the
bench and Shane Battier chipped in 14 for Houston, which built a
12-point halftime lead before staving off a furious comeback
after the break.

"We've all taken it upon ourselves to help Tracy," Head said.
"He's going to get a lot of people coming at him, traps and
everything. We just wanted to be there if he needed us to make
some open shots. That's our game."

Orlando drew within 90-88 when Trevor Ariza made a pair of free
throws with 1:57 left, but McGrady assisted on Head's 3-pointer
just 21 seconds later to push Houston's lead back to five
points.

The Magic cut their deficit back to two on a pair of other
occasions in the final minute, but McGrady made a jumper and
Alston hit a free throw to protect Houston's cushion.

"We're so happy with the win because we think they're so darn
good and so well coached," he said. "To come in here and find a
way to win is big. We have so much respect for them and how
they go about their business."

"It's discouraging to miss 14 free throws in a close game, it is
difficult," Orlando coach Brian Hill said. "It is very
difficult. There is nothing you can do with that except work on
your free-throw shooting every day."